Volusia County Sergeant Charged with Felony Battery After Drunk Bar Attack on Elderly Couple

A Volusia County sheriff's sergeant faces two felony charges after attacking an elderly couple at a Florida bar while off-duty. He has since resigned and entered rehab.

Volusia County Sergeant Charged with Felony Battery After Drunk Bar Attack on Elderly Couple

Off-duty sergeant batters 71-year-old woman and 77-year-old Vietnam veteran at New Smyrna Beach bar

Google News MT — Crime (en) reports that a Volusia County Sheriff's Office sergeant has been charged with two counts of felony battery after attacking an elderly couple at a bar in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, while off-duty and intoxicated.

New Smyrna Beach police responded to Merk's Bar & Grill at approximately 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Jason Stickels, 44, instigated the confrontation by making unwanted physical contact with a couple seated near the bar, according to a sheriff's office news release.

Witnesses and video footage show Stickels first struck a 71-year-old woman at the table, then turned on her 77-year-old husband — a Vietnam veteran — when the man stepped in to intervene. A bystander intervened, taking Stickels to the ground.

Stickels was charged on two counts of felony battery on a person 65 years of age or older. He was released after posting bond.

Sheriff Mike Chitwood publicly condemned the incident on social media, describing the conduct as "idiotic behavior." Speaking to News 6 on Tuesday, Chitwood said: "I have a 77-year-old Vietnam Veteran in a bar with his wife and what you see in that video is thoroughly disgusting; it's sickening, and doesn't represent what this organization stands for."

Stickels, who joined the sheriff's office in 2004, has since resigned and voluntarily admitted himself to a rehabilitation centre, Chitwood confirmed.

"Everyone wants to see him grounded into dust. You have to take into account that I hire from the human race; we're all human, he made a horrible mistake, his career is over, and he's embarrassed publicly," Chitwood said.

Authorities are asking anyone with information or additional footage of the incident to contact New Smyrna Beach police via the department's non-emergency line.

Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)